Method and system for integrating cores in FPGA-based system-on-chip (SoC)

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an interface that can facilitate integration of user specific proprietary cores and commercially available cores during customization of an FPGA-based SoC. A selected hardware or software system component used for customizing the FPGA-based SoC can be configured using parameters that can be automatically propagated and used to configure peer system components. During configuration of the peer system components, other parameters used to configure those peer system components can also be propagated and used to configure other system components during customization of the FPGA-based SoC.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to programmable logic devices, and more particularly to a method and system for integrating cores for customizing FPGA-based SoCs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Programmable devices are a class of general-purpose integrated circuits that can be configured for a wide variety of applications. Such programmable devices have two basic versions, mask programmable devices, which are programmed only by a manufacturer, and field programmable devices, which are programmable by the end user. In addition, programmable devices can be further categorized as programmable memory devices or programmable logic devices. Programmable memory devices include programmable read only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) and electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). Programmable logic devices include programmable logic array (PLA) devices, programmable array logic (PAL) devices, erasable programmable logic devices (EPLD) devices, and programmable gate arrays (PISA).

As chip capacity continues to increase significantly, the use of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) is quickly replacing the use of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). An ASIC is a specialized integrated circuit that is designed for a particular application and can be implemented as a specialized microprocessor. Notably, a FPGA is a programmable logic device (PLD) that has an extremely high density of electronic gates as compared to an ASIC. This high gate density has contributed immensely to the popularity of FPGAs. Notably, FPGAs can be designed using a variety of architectures that can include user configurable input/output blocks (IOBs), and programmable logic blocks having configurable interconnects and switching capability.

The advancement of computer chip technology has also resulted in the development of embedded processors and controllers. An embedded processor or controller can be a microprocessor or microcontroller circuitry that has been integrated into an electronic device as opposed to being built as a standalone module or “plugin card.” Advancement of FPGA technology has led to the development of FPGA-based system-on-chips (SoC) including FPGA-based embedded processor SoCs. A SoC is a fully functional product having its electronic circuitry contained on a single chip. While a microprocessor chip requires ancillary hardware electronic components to process instructions, a SoC would include all required ancillary electronics. For example, a SoC for a cellular telephone can include a microprocessor, encoder, decoder, digital signal processor (DSP), RAM and ROM. It should be understood within contemplation of the present invention that an FPGA-Based SoC does not necessarily include a microprocessor or microcontroller. For example, a SoC for a cellular telephone could also include an encoder, decoder, digital signal processor (DSP), RAM and ROM that rely on an external microprocessor. It should also be understood herein that “FPGA-based embedded processor SoCs” are a specific subset of FPGA-based SoCs that would include their own processors.

In order for device manufacturers to develop FPGA-based SoCs or FPGA-based embedded processor SoCs, it is necessary for them to acquire intellectual property rights for system components and/or related technologies that are utilized to create the FPGA-based SoCs. These system components and/or technologies are called cores or Intellectual Property (IP) cores. An electronic file containing system component information can typically be used to represent the core. A device manufacturer will generally acquire several cores that are integrated to fabricate the SoC.

Notwithstanding advantages provided by using FPGA-based SoCs, the development of these SoCs can be very challenging. Although a vast proportion of cores are commercially available, a significantly greater proportion of cores are proprietary. Proprietary cores can be called customer specific cores. Commercially available cores can typically include standardized interfaces, which can provide interconnectivity between system components from various vendors. Customer specific cores can typically include proprietary interfaces that do not readily facilitate interconnectivity between system components from other vendors. For example, customer specific cores can be written in proprietary languages, which are completely different from standardized languages. Since customer specific cores do not readily facilitate interconnectivity with other vendor's system components, integrating customer specific cores during customization of an FPGA-based SoC can be time consuming. This resulted in increased development cost and greater time-to-market. Integration of the cores can include simulating, modeling and debugging the integrated cores in an operating environment. Simulation and modeling can be a daunting task since it can take hours if not days to simulate a few milliseconds of real time operation. FPGA based embedded processor SoCs are being introduced into the market, but there are no solutions which allow users to customize the system, the hardware cores, and the associated software nor is there a system enabling a user to tradeoff a function which is implemented in hardware (FPGA fabric) or software (running on the embedded processor). It would be desirable to have a method and system for better integrating cores during customization of FPGA-based SoCs and that further overcome the shortcomings described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention can provide a method for integrating system component cores during customization of a FPGA-based SoC. Subsequent to selecting a system component used for customizing the FPGA-based SoC, parameters can be used to configure the selected system component for use with the FPGA-based SoC. The parameters used to configure the selected system component can be propagated and used to configure peer system components. Notably, other parameters that are used to configure the peer system component can also be propagated and used to configure the selected system component. The parameters used to configure the peer system components can be propagated to subsequently selected system components that can be used to configure the FPGA-based SoC. Selection of the system components can also include the provision of an option for selecting a hardware implementation or a software implementation for customizing the FPGA-based SoC. Additionally, the step of selecting the system component can include selecting a system component from the group consisting of a hardware core and a software core. The invention can also provide an interface for integrating hardware or software system component cores used for customizing an FPGA-based SoC.

In a further aspect of the invention, an interface is provided for integrating hardware system component cores used for customizing an FPGA-based SoC. The interface can include a slave connection circuitry communicatively interfaced to a processor bus and a master connection circuitry communicatively interfaced to the processor bus. A multiplexer (MUX) can facilitate selecting the slave connection circuitry or the master connection circuitry in order to provide communication between the processor bus and a selected hardware system component core used for customizing the FPGA-based SoC. The selected hardware system component core can be either a proprietary customer specific hardware core or a commercially available hardware core.

In accordance with the inventive arrangements, the interface can further include a direct memory access (DMA) controller for providing direct access to a memory device. A write buffer and a read buffer can provide temporary storage of I/O data, which can be communicated between the memory device and the selected hardware system component core. An interrupt controller coupled to a multiplexer can latch individual interrupt signals and provide a single signal to a microprocessor indicating an interrupt condition. The microprocessor then typically clears the interrupt condition that is latched in the interrupt controller after servicing the interrupt in a peripheral.

In yet a further aspect of the invention, a GUI for integrating system component cores during customization of a FPGA-based SoC is provided. The GUI can include a selection object for selecting a system component core for customizing the FPGA-based SoC. A configuration object can facilitate configuration of selected system component core and peer system components. A display object can be used to facilitate display of parameters used by the configuration object to configure selected system components and peer system components. The configuration object can further include a parameter distribution object for distributing the parameters to subsequently selected system component cores and peer system components. The selection object can further include a dialog for selecting hardware system component cores and software system component cores.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a processor system generator in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary topological view of the system model in accordance with the inventive arrangements.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for integrating system component cores in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 depicts an interface for integrating software system component cores in accordance with the inventive arrangements.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary hardware interface for integrating hardware system components in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 6 depicts and exemplary GUI in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system for developing and verifying a FPGA-based SoC in accordance with the invention. For illustrative purposes, and without limiting the scope of the invention, an embedded system consisting of a microprocessor, buses, memory architecture, peripherals, and software components is presented, although a system using an external microprocessor is certainly contemplated within the scope of the invention. Exemplary software components for the embedded system can include, but is not limited to, device drivers and system software, such as a real time operating system (RTOS) and protocol stacks. An exemplary development environment for this embedded system can include, but is not limited to, one or more libraries for microprocessors, peripherals, system software, and device drivers. The relevant bus architectures and memory options that can be utilized for the development of an FPGA-based SoC can be included in the libraries. Further, a good example of hardware/software function tradeoff can involve the protocol stack, which can be implemented in either hardware or software. A user may implement a protocol stack in software if there is sufficient processing power to meet all performance requirements or the user could implement the protocol stack in hardware given sufficient FPGA resources and a presumed need for higher performance.

In general, a system model can be created to facilitate design and testing of an FPGA-based SoC. The system model can include a data structure that represents the internal structure and functionality of the FPGA-based SoC. The system model can include, but is not limited to, system components, interconnections between components, and attributes, which define various characteristics and functionality of the system components and interconnections. The data structure can be a hierarchical structure, for example a tree structure, which can mirror the design hierarchy of the embedded system. This system model can also include algorithms, which can facilitate selection and customization of system components. Notably, the system model can be part of an integrated object-oriented system (OOS) that can facilitate selection and customization of the system components. Alternatively, other mechanisms and algorithms external to the system model can facilitate selection and customization of the system components.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there are shown a platform generator 105, a system selector 110, a system customizer 115, a system analyzer 120, a code generator 125 and a system implementor 130 all forming a processor system generator. The platform generator 105 can include one or more GUIs that can facilitate design of the system model. A main GUI can provide various system options and informational dialogs. The platform generator can include, a navigator GUI having one or more dialogs and/or objects, a topological GUI having one or more dialogs and/or objects and a selection customizer GUI having one or more dialogs and/or objects. One or more dialogs and/or objects can provide system component resource counts, performance estimates, power requirements and system and application software requirements. For example, a GUI can be used to display a table or chart representing the resource allocation for the system components. Advantageously, such table or chart can provide an easily readable condensed view of the system resource allocation. An exemplary table is illustrated below. Device LUTs DFFs Slices BRAM I/Os OPB Arbiter 300 200 200 0 9 UART 16450 500 400 300 0 12 Ethernet 10/100M 2500 1700 1500 0 12 Total Utilized 3300 2300 2000 0 21 Device Resources 122880 122880 61440 3456 1488 Available Resources 119580 120580 59440 3456 1267

Referring to the table, a condensed view of the system resources is provided. Specifically, the table shows a breakdown of particular resources utilized by each device and also the total resources utilized by all devices. The available resources can be computed based on the total utilized resources and the total device resources. For example, there are 122880 D-flip flops (D-FFs) available. OPB arbiter utilizes 200 D-FFs, UART 16450 utilizes 400 D-FFs, and Ethernet 10/100M device utilizes 1700 D-FFs. Hence, there are 2300 D-FFs utilized, which leaves 120580 available.

The navigator dialog and/or object can provide an interactive interface that can facilitate viewing of design specification and configuration information. For example, one or more navigator objects can provide a graphical view to facilitate the insertion of a microprocessor from a library into the system model. In a case where a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) is selected as a peripheral, the navigator object and/or dialog can permit customization of the UART. The navigator dialog can also be configured to permit switching between multiple design and implementation tasks. The topological dialog can utilize a block diagram format to provide a topological view that can visually represent the existing state of the system model. The selection customizer object can permit the selection and customization of a system component. Upon selection of a system component, a GUI which can include a dialog and can facilitate customization of the system component. Platform generator 105 can have the capability to permit a particular state and/or stage of the system design and implementation to be saved and recalled at a subsequent time.

System selector 110 can be a GUI that can facilitate selection of the system components that can be used to design the FPGA-based SoC. For example, the system selector 110 can provide one or more dialogs that can permit the selection of microprocessors, microcontrollers, peripheral devices, buses, system software and application software. During selection of system components, each of the selected components can be independently treated.

The system customizer 115 can include one or more GUIs having objects and/or dialogs that can facilitate customization or configuration of system components and software. Referring to FIG. 1, there are shown a system parameter customizer 115 a, a hardware intellectual property (IP) parameter customizer 115 b, and a software IP parameter customizer 115 c. The system parameter customizer 115 a can facilitate customization of the memory map, interrupt bindings and priorities, and global and default system parameter definitions. The hardware intellectual property (IP) parameter customizer 115 b can facilitate customization of device specific parameters. For example, data bus widths, IP interfaces and device specific parameters can be customized by hardware intellectual property (IP) parameter customizer 115 b.

The software intellectual property (IP) parameter customizer 115 c can facilitate customization of software specific parameters. For example, upon selection of a system component or a peripheral, an interrupt request (IRQ) number, a memory mapped I/O address and default initialization parameters can be assigned to the peripheral by the software IP parameter customizer 115 c. In a case where a UART has been selected as a peripheral, default parameters can include, but are not limited to, stop bits, parity designation on/off, and baud rate. The customizer system 115 not only provides selection of the system components, but can also be configured to bind system parameters to system components. For example, the memory map for a particular peripheral can be bound to the peripheral giving the peripheral its unique memory address space. Furthermore, a GUI having one or more dialogs can be used to populate a system model data structure with customization parameters and/or attributes.

The system analyzer 120 can include one or more GUIs having objects and/or dialogs that can provide immediate feedback regarding architectural choices made during customization. The system analyzer 120 can include software that can have the capability to validate and analyze the system model while it is being customized. If problems including, incompatibilities, conflicts and/or system violations occur, the system analyzer 120 can issue immediate warnings and/or provide possible solutions. The system analyzer 120 can perform tasks such as system checks, parameter consistency checks, data type and value propagation checks, interconnection inference, and resource and performance analysis. Interconnection reference pertains to implications that can result from making certain connections. The system analyzer 120 can also assign device identifications (IDs) to system components and computing configuration read-only-memory (ROM) data. Exemplary system and parameter consistency checks can include, matching data bus widths of peripherals and system components, determining interrupt conflicts, determining memory map conflicts, determining memory size and usage, determining device counts, determining availability of FPGA resources and determining maximum operating frequency.

The system analyzer 120 can be configured to propagate default values, global values and/or previously defined values through the system model. For example, if a bus is configured with a default data width of 16 bits, then each peripheral that “sits on” or utilizes that bus can automatically be configured with a data width of 16 bits. It should be recognized by one skilled in the art that although a peripheral device may be automatically configured with the default bus width value, this value can be overwritten. For example, depending on the application, availability of certain devices can dictate that two (2) 8-bit devices be utilized instead of a single 16-bit device. Advantageously, the propagation of values can prevent multiple entries of similar data which typically increases development time.

During performance analysis, system analyzer 120 can have the capability to determine if system components are properly configured. For example, system analyzer 120 can identify a high-speed device that has not been configured with direct memory access (DMA). Since such a device can invariably cause a system conflict, system analyzer can consider it as a source of potential problem. System analyzer 120 can also determine whether there are too many devices residing on a bus based on the device count. For example, the system analyzer 120 can have the capability to determine whether there are too many high-speed devices on a low speed bus. In this case, the system analyzer 120 can indicate the possibility of errors and/or generate possible solutions. By tracking memory usage, the system analyzer 120 can have the capability to determine whether the code space assigned in the memory map is too large for the physical memory. System analyzer 120 can also be configured to track physical resource requirements for example, slice counts for IP blocks, and width and height of specifications of IP blocks. A GUI can provide a visual display of a resulting or representative floor plan to aid with tracking and management of physical resources.

Code generator 125 can include one or more GUIs having objects and/or dialogs that can facilitate generation of the code necessary for implementing the design of the FPGA-based embedded processor SoC or FPGA-based SoC. The code necessary for implementing the design of the FPGA-based SoC can be in a format such as the well known hardware description language (HDL). HDL is a language used to describe the functions of an electronic circuit for documentation, simulation and/or logic synthesis. Verilog and VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) are standardized HDLs which are well known by those skilled in the art. Verilog and VHDL can be used to design electronic systems at the component, board and system level. They can facilitate the development of models at a very high level of abstraction. Other formats now known or to be discovered can also be used to represent the system model.

Depending on information generated by, for example, the software IP parameter customizer 115 c, the code generator 125 can tailor “header files,” which can be used to implement the software IP of the FPGA-based SoC. Moreover, depending on the selected software IP, processors, peripherals, operating system and device drivers, code generator 125 can produce a source code directory structure that can facilitate implementation of the software IP of the FPGA-based SoC. The code generator 125 can also generate the necessary “make files,” which are files used to define the rules necessary for compiling and building the code used to implement the software IP of the FPGA-based SoC. The code generator 125 can be configured to generate information that can be used for debugging. The generated information can be in an ASCII format or other suitable format and can include information such as the memory map, the configuration ROM table and the peripheral ID map.

The system implementor 130 can include one or more GUIs that can have objects and/or dialogs that can facilitate implementation of the FPGA-based SoC design. Implementation of the design can include, but is not limited to, HDL simulation and synthesis, mapping of information generated by the code generator 125, placement, routing and bitstream generation. An integrated tool or separate tools can facilitate the implementation of the FPGA-based SoC design.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary topological view of the system model in accordance with the inventive arrangements. A GUI 200 can facilitate display of the topological view of the system model. GUI 200 can include a software development window 205, a simulation model window 210 and a core model window 215. The software development window 205 can include one or more objects representing the various tools that can be used to create the code for the model system. Software development window 205 can include a compiler object 205 a, an assembler object 205 b, a linker object 205 c, a converter or formatter object 205 d and a SRAM object 205 e. Software build tools such as compilers, assemblers, linkers, and converters are well known by those skilled in the art. Simulation model window 210 can include an OPB toolkit object 210 a, a DCR toolkit object 210 b, a PLB toolkit object 210 c, an SRAM model object 210 d and a SRAM model object 210 e.

The core model window 215 can include objects representing the system components that can comprise the system model. Core model window 215 contains a 32-bit peripheral bus 215 a, a DCR bus 215 b, a 64-bit processor local bus 215 c, a SDRAM controller 215 d, a peripheral controller 215 e, a arbiter 215 f, a processor core 215 g, a DMA controller 215 h, a PLB/OPB bridge 215 i and a serial port 215 j. A high level view of the interconnections between the system components is shown in the core model window 215. For example, PLB/OPB bridge 215 i provides interconnections between buses 215 a, 215 b and 215 c. Bus 215 c facilitates communication between peripherals including arbiter 215 e, peripheral controller 215 e, SDRAM controller 215 d, DMA controller 215 h and processor core 215 g. Arrows between the objects in the core model window 215 and the simulation model window 210 can illustrate a relationship between corresponding objects in each model window.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for integrating system component cores in accordance with the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, in step 380, system component #1 can be selected. System component #1 and any subsequently selected system component can include a hardware core or a software core. In step 382, system component #1 can be configured with parameters. In step 384, the system parameters can be propagated to make them available for subsequently selected system components that will utilize common parameters. In step 384, system component #2 can be selected. In step 388, system component #2 can be configured with parameters including previously propagated common parameters. In step 400, any new parameters that were used to configure system component #2 can be propagated to make them available for previously and subsequently selected system components that utilize similar parameters.

It should be recognized by those skilled in the art that the configuration and propagation of parameters can be static or dynamic. Notably, as system components are configured with new parameters, these new parameters are propagated and made available for configuring other system components. Importantly, these other system components can include previously configured hardware and software system components, as well as subsequently selected hardware and software system components. Advantageously, the propagation of system parameters can save on development time, since it can obviate any need to re-enter similar parameters which can be used to configure other selected system components.

FIG. 4 depicts an interface 480, for integrating software system component cores in accordance with the inventive arrangements. Referring to FIG. 4, there are shown an operating system layer 482, and operating system adaptation layer 484 and a system component layer 486. The operating system component layer 482 can facilitate management of resources for the software system components that are used to customize the FPGA-based SoC. The operating system layer 482 can host an operating system such as a RTOS.

The operating system adaptation layer 484 can facilitate communication between disparate system component drivers, for example 486 a, 486 b 486 c, and the operating system layer 482. The system component drivers 486 a, 486 b and 486 c can be customer specific proprietary cores, each having a different communication interface. Since each of the component drivers 486 a, 486 b and 486 c can have different proprietary interfaces, communication messages can be translated or converted to and from the proprietary formats to facilitate communication with the operating system layer 480. The operating system adaptation layer 484 can include a translator that can facilitate conversion to and from the proprietary formats, so that information can be communicated between the operating system layer 482 and the system component layer 486.

The system component layer 486 can include one or more system component drivers. Each of the system component drivers can be configured to handle the processing functions for a system component. For example, system component #1 driver can be configured to handle processing functions for system component #1. For illustrative purposes, system component #1 can represent serial device 215 j. In this case, system component #1 driver 486 a can be used to process data in an associated data buffer for serial device 215 j. System component #1 driver 486 can include an interrupt handling routine that can be used to retrieve data pending in the associated data buffer for serial device 215 j.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary hardware interface for integrating hardware system components in accordance with the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown an exemplary interface 500 that can facilitate integration of variously configured peripheral system components that can be utilized for configuring the FPGA-based SoC. The FPGA-based SoC can be configured to utilize dedicated transistors in the Silicon of the FPGA for implementing a peripheral interface. Alternatively, the FPGA-based SoC can be configured to utilize dedicated transistors in the logic fabric of a FPGA for implementing a peripheral interface. Importantly, the choice of peripheral interfaces used for configuring the FPGA-based SoC can affect resource utilization of the FPGA-based SoC. For example, the resource utilization for a master-slave peripheral interface implementation can be markedly different from a slave only peripheral interface implementation. Advantageously, the invention can provide immediate feedback on system component and peripheral selection and implementation during customization of the FPGA-based SoC. Importantly, customization of the FPGA-based SoC can occur under resource constraints without the need to spend expensive development time and effort.

Exemplary interface 500 can include, but is not limited to, a multiplexer (MUX) 502, slave connection circuitry 506, master connection circuitry 508, direct memory access DMA) controller 510, interrupt controller 504, address decoder 514, write buffer 516, and read buffer 518. The MUX 502 can facilitate selection of the slave connection circuitry 506 or the master connection circuitry, which can be used to connect a proprietary or customer specific or other hardware system component core 512 to processor bus 520. The interrupt controller 504 latches individual interrupt signals and provides an indication of an interrupt condition to a processor (not shown). DMA controller 510 can facilitate direct memory access to a storage device such as a random access memory (RAM). I/O data transferred to and from the system component core can be buffered in the write buffer 516 and the read buffer 518, which can both be selected by the MUX 502.

FIG. 6 depicts and exemplary GUI 350 that can facilitate integrating system component cores during customization of a FPGA-based SoC in accordance with the invention. GUI 350 can include a system component selection object 352, a parameter selection object 354 and a display window 356. The system component selection object 352 can facilitate selection of system components that can be used to configure the FPGA-based SoC. System component selection object 352 can include a window having a plurality of system components that can readily be selected. In other words, the selection object may comprise a dialog for selecting hardware system component cores and software system component cores. For example, a radio button can be highlighted to select UART 16450 as a system component for configuring the FPGA-based SoC. Alternatively, one or more pull-down menus can be used to facilitate the selection of system components by their functionality. The system component selection object and the parameter selection objection essentially form a configuration object. The configuration object may further comprise a parameter distribution object for distributing the parameters to subsequently selected system component cores and peer system components.

Parameter selection object 354 can include one or more dialogs that can facilitate entry and or selection of parameters that can be used to configure system components. For example, system component UART 16550 can be configured with parameter 354a that indicates the use of interrupt request number 9 (IRQ9). The display window 356 can include a window having one or more objects representing allocation and use of resources.

Display window 356 can include one or more objects that can display the allocation of system resources as the system components are selected. A table object 362 can provide a condensed view of the allocation, usage and availability of the FPGA-based SoC resources. The table object 362 illustrates exemplary resources, which can include LUTs, D-FFs, Slices, BRAMS, I/Os, Memory and processor power. Specifically, the table object shows a breakdown of particular resources utilized by each device or system component and also the total resources utilized by all the system components. The available resources can be computed based on the total utilized resources and the total device resources. For example, there are 122880 D-flip flops (D-FFs) available in the FPGA-based SoC. The table object can also show the processing power required by the system components. For example, the OPB arbiter utilizes 0.2 DMIPs, UART 16550 utilizes 1.4 DMIPs, and Ethernet 10/100M device utilizes 8.4 DMIPs. The total processing power required for use by the system components is 10 DMIPs. This leaves 290 DMIPs of the 300 DMIPS of the FPGA-based SoC processing power resources for use by other system components.

Customization is typically constrained by the availability of FPGA-based SoC resources. For example, the number of I/Os utilized by system components cannot exceed the number of I/Os of the FPGA-based SoC. Advantageously, the GUI 350 can provide real-time resource utilization feedback during the selection and configuration stages of the FPGA-based SoC development. By selecting a particular system component, the resources utilized by that system component can be immediately determined and displayed in the GUI 350. The resources can be itemized in order to simplify the tasks of selection and configuration of system components. In one aspect of the invention, each system component can have a corresponding application programming interface (API) the can provide an exact or estimated resource count.

Importantly, after all the system components have been selected, a system analysis and consistency check can be executed to ensure that the necessary system requirements and specification are met. For example, since processing delays can affect quality of service (QOS) in speech-based telephony applications, it is pertinent to ensure that processing delays caused by system components comply with the system specification and requirements. The system analyzer 120 (FIG. 1) can traverse the selected components and compute relevant resource allocation and usage statistics. These statistics can be used to optimize the allocation of system resources. System analyzer 120 can also provide functions, which can have the capability to determine system performance and power dissipation based on system component selection and parameter configuration. The GUI 350 can further include a message object 360 that can facilitate display of warning messages, error messages, inconsistency messages, and other types of messages and/or information. System component selection object 352 shows selected system components OPB arbiter, ethernet 10/100 and UART 16550.

In another aspect of the invention, a chip support package can be automatically created for the FPGA-based SoC. Typically, board support packages (BSP) can facilitate hardware and software customization. A BSP can include a circuit board and associated system and/or application software. The system and application software can include a collection of libraries, which typically isolate hardware functionality of the circuit board from its software functionality. For example, the BSP libraries can provide software functions that can be used for hardware initialization, interrupt handling, clock and timer management, and data structures for memory mapping and sizing. Nevertheless, a BSP usually correlates to a static design of a specific circuit board with specific components. A new circuit board with different components would then necessarily require a different BSP.

Advantageously, the FPGA-based SoC provides a more flexible approach than the BSP, by locating system components on a chip, in contrast to being on a separate circuit board. Rather than hard-coding the initialization of system components that reside on the circuit board of the BSP, the FPGA-based SoC can permit initialization of only those system components that are utilized for customizing the FPGA-based SoC. This can drastically reduce initialization time and save on often precious memory. The code generator 125 and/or system implementor 130, can include a chip support package generator for generating a chip support package (CSP) or a board support package generator for generating a board support package (BSP) once the system components used to customize the FPGA-based SoC have been selected and configured. The code generator and/or system implementor can serve as a tool to automate the creation of a BSP based on a specific FPGA-based SoC and a specific operating system to be integrated with the hardware or software cores previously selected.

Advantageously, the ability to get real-time feedback and resource allocation can provide optimal resource allocation while configuring the system components used to customize the FPGA-based SoC. Notably, this can significantly reduce up-front development costs and non-recurring engineering costs and ultimately reduces the time to market. In light of the foregoing description of the invention, it should be recognized that the present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. A method and system for integrating cores during customization of an FPGA-based SoC according to the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system, or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein, is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which, when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods. Computer program or application in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

Additionally, the description above is intended by way of example only and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way, except as set forth in the following claims. 

1. An interface for integrating hardware system component cores used for customizing a FPGA-based SoC, the interface comprising: a slave connection circuitry communicatively interfaced to a processor bus; a master connection circuitry communicatively interfaced to said processor bus; and a multiplexer for selecting one of said slave connection circuitry and said master connection circuitry for providing communication between a processor bus and a selected hardware system component core used for customizing the FPGA-based SoC.
 2. The interface for integrating hardware system component cores according to claim 1, wherein said selected hardware system component core is a proprietary customer specific hardware core.
 3. The interface for integrating hardware system component cores according to claim 1, wherein said selected hardware system component core is a commercially available hardware core.
 4. The interface for integrating hardware system component cores according to claim 1, further comprising a direct memory access (DMA) controller for providing direct access to a memory device.
 5. The interface for integrating hardware system component cores according to claim 4, further comprising a write buffer and a read buffer, said write buffer and said read buffer providing temporary storage of I/O data from said memory device for said selected hardware system component core.
 6. The interface for integrating hardware system component cores according to claim 1, further comprising an interrupt controller coupled to said multiplexer, said interrupt controller for latching individual interrupt signals and providing a signal to a microprocessor indicating an interrupt condition. 